


a journey's beginning

by Fumm95



Category: Seven Kingdoms: The Princess Problem (Visual Novel)
Genre: Gen, Introspection, POV Outsider, Pre-Summit
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-11 01:49:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,161
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28147116
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fumm95/pseuds/Fumm95
Summary: If anyone were to ask her, and most people generally did not, Princess Jaslen had high expectations for the general excitement of the Summit, and the presence of one Lady Pippa.
Comments: 5
Kudos: 4
Collections: Yuletide 2020





	a journey's beginning

**Author's Note:**

  * For [AwayLaughing](https://archiveofourown.org/users/AwayLaughing/gifts).



> I definitely had more planned, but real life caught up with me, so my apologies for that!
> 
> Also, I hope this is IC for Pippa! I tried not to be super specific but I had a mental image and ended up just running with it.
> 
> Happy holidays! Hope they're wonderful for you! :)

Despite all appearances to the contrary, Princess Jaslen of Corval was neither ignorant nor a fool.

Oh, she knew better than to believe herself of any true great intelligence, especially compared to the truly quick-witted individuals that she knew existed around her, but she was still a princess of Corval with all that entailed, born with an appetite for political intrigue in her blood and a natural knack for remembering and understanding people, their desires, and their motivations. It was, by no means, the most apparent of talents, but nor was she naive enough to want recognition for it, not when life at court had taught her that being underestimated granted her so many more opportunities.

It had proven to be a useful skill as she grew up within the palace, navigating the intricacies of the inner circle at court, the manipulative nobles and conniving ladies in waiting, all looking to use an imperial princess to further their own standing. It had again proven useful at the Summit, when every person she met was living with half a dozen agendas and priorities, none of which were for her best interest, when the subtly dangerous climate was the only that could have given the inner court of her childhood a run for its money.

She had a reputation for recalling names, could assess at a thousand paces the intentions of the individuals approaching her, through knowledge of their family and interests. She could identify the others with a knack for politics, using her subtle wiles and gleaned information for her own means. And, perhaps most useful if all, she had mastered the skill to hide it all, concealed behind a carefully cultivated mask of frivolity.

It was all part of her appeal, the reason she had so much sway within court, if behind the scenes, the reason why she had been chosen to be a delegate at the Seven Kingdoms Summit despite her disinterest in marriage, and why she could gain and preserve the interest of powerful and ambitious men.

Then again, when it came down to it, any noble who possessed even a single modicum of awareness at court would have known to keep an eye on the so-called Lady Roshan and, especially, her only child. After all, the mother had become the talk of the kingdom several times over, first upon her arrival to court and then later when her husband, a source of rumors in his own right, died before ever getting the chance to meet his daughter. And the daughter, though less outwardly controversial, had managed to live up to her mother’s fame, at least among the circles that truly understood.

Pippa was, in some ways, a veritable jewel of Corval, both within the court and outside of its confines. With her long, rich curls, smooth skin, and delicate features, she was not of any insignificant beauty, but of even greater advantage, even greater value, was her nature. Warm, friendly, and curious, she had all the advantages for her station and made friends with aplomb, or at least got along with virtually everybody, and perhaps even attracted a little too much attention from certain individuals. 

No, if her skills at reading and understanding people had any merit at all, she had no doubts that Pippa would thrive in whatever situation she found herself in.

And now, she was to chaperone the young lady at the upcoming Seven Kingdoms Summit, alongside her nephew and her brother’s godson, a most promising turn of events. With a small, pleased smile, Jaslen sat back in her seat, putting down the imperial decree from her brother and cast her gaze out towards the harbor.

If nothing else, it would certainly be a Summit to remember.

* * *

It was clear as soon as they set sail for Vail Isle that the young men and women selected to be Corval’s delegation had no experience on the water. Theoretically, they had won their positions through political ingenuity and popular likeability, cast through the approval of the emperor. They had proven themselves to the emperor and thus to the kingdom. They had been deemed worthy to represent their empire, to win the good graces of the matchmaker and benefit both themselves and the kingdom at large in the upcoming summit.

Naturally, reality was somewhat less utopic, particularly where one particular lord was concerned, but they were, for the most part, a collection of some of the most outstanding young lords and ladies of their generation. And yet being aboard the ship transporting them to Vail Isle had transformed them all into a bunch of ragtag children, clamoring at the ship’s railing or asking ceaseless questions of the sailors, running back and forth without any of their carefully maintained dignity.

It almost would have been funny, if she did not remember her own voyage to the Summit, years ago.

Instead, Jaslen only pressed her lips together in the hint of an amused smirk as she stepped onto the deck. Beneath her feet, the ship coasted over the rolling waves, steady but calm for their trip, as the seas in the days leading to the Summit always were. Even so, she vaguely thought she saw Blain hurrying toward the side of the vessel, in too much of a hurry to even replace the nausea on his face with his usual smug condescension.

Honestly, it was a wonder sometimes why her brother even put up with the spoiled brat, godson though he might have been.

She shook her head, tilting her head to better take in the warmth of the sun overhead and the salty tang of the ocean. It was a strange thing, how being confined to the Summit and Vail Isle, with responsibilities and goals to further still felt in some ways like a respite from court. Oh, there were still secrets and plots aplenty, certainly enough to keep even the most ambitious individual busy, but something about the weeks spent among the young lords and ladies, still learning and testing their places, particularly in the tumultuous state of their world, set her blood ablaze.

Or, perhaps, it was certain grand dukes in particular…

The soft chime of laughter caught her ear, too melodic to be contrived, and she turned on instinct, raising her eyes as the figure shifted into view. Rather than conversing with the other delegates, Lady Pippa stood at the bow of the ship, her long curls unbound and dancing in the warm breeze, with her arms outstretched and a bright smile on her face, as if embracing the future, the unknowns before her.

It was endearing, almost inspiring, in its straight simplicity, and if the sudden shift in attention of her nephew, from flirting outrageously with one of the crewmates, of all individuals, was any indication, she was certainly not the only one to notice.

Raising an eyebrow, she turned away, directing her gaze out toward their destination. The Summit really couldn’t come soon enough.


End file.
